There used to be a day when all a politician needed to do to be beloved by the public was kiss the occasional baby, shake a few hands, and keep any marital infidelity under wraps. Now they have to appear on the cover of fashion magazines or display their tango skills on Dancing With The Stars. It is, I think we can agree, a hard life.

While the mind boggles a little at the concept of Tom DeLay, former majority leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, doing the cha-cha, British Elle’s limited edition special issue (celebrating the 25th anniversary of London Fashion week and featuring Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, as its “cover boy”) actually works. The combination of the sobriety of the mainly black and white cover, the slightly rumpled (and therefore ineffably human) outfit worn by the mayor, and the lyrics from The Clash’s ‘London Calling’ that surround him conjures up the spirit of London in a way that no model in a dress ever could.

In addition, as the cherry on this particular cake, Elle invited Mr. Johnson to write the ‘editor’s letter’, thus becoming the third blonde (after editor-in-chief, Lorraine Candy, and Donatella Versace) to have done so.